June 2, 1945 – War Telescope – NBC – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
June 2, 1945 – While the war was in its final weeks in the Pacific, the process of adjusting to life post-war was going on in Europe. Refugees, destroyed cities, maintaining order, housing the displaced; those were all issues confronting this postwar Europe. But despite four years of war and untold destruction and loss of life, there were new hotspots to contend with.
This set of hot-spots were made up of Syria, Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, Iran, Egypt and Palestine and were threatening the fragile adjustment to peace. The basic premise for the unrest was simple; the countries in question were colonies and protectorates of France and England and a movement was afoot to shake off colonial rule and become independent sovereign nations.
On this day the focus was on the Middle-East and General De Gaulle held his first press conference in almost a year to address the “Syrian question”. He held the press conference to clear up news reports he called erroneous in reference to the recent riots in Damascus where several people were killed and scores wounded by French troops who fired into crowds. De Gaulle reminded reporters that Britain in 1918 was given a mandate over Iraq, Transjordan and Palestine, France was a mandate over Lebanon and Syria. De Gaulle explained the mandate was not easy to carry out and that Britain was partly to blame. Seems getting back to some semblance of normal meant a lot of in-fighting.
And that’s a little of what happened, this 2nd day of June in 1945 as reported on The War Telescope from NBC.
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